Mankind
by Duzzy
Summary: Naruto is the representation of Light and Dark after he dies and is chosen by the Kamis themselves. Not only does he have to help a different world, but he has to help his own, but he doesn't know if he can... or should.
1. Chapter 1

**Mankind**

**Chapter 1:** Loss of Hope

* * *

It was nice day in Konoha as two boys could be seen coming down the road towards the gates of Konoha. Anyone could see both boys were injured to some degree. One had blond hair and deep blue eyes. Many people that didn't know what he held would wonder how he was still conscious, better yet, alive. Fourteen year old Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune, was on an A Class mission to retrieve a defected Konoha ninja. Uchiha Sasuke, to be specific, had left Konoha only days ago to join another village for power. He was twelve years old and last of his massacred clan. He had black hair and pitch black eyes. Currently he was being carried unconscious by, in his eyes, his _former_ best friend, whom he tried to kill.

About 10 miles away from Konoha, Naruto could see two approaching figures. They were getting closer and closer, and Naruto could finally make out who it was. Hatake Kakashi, Naruto's sensei, and Umino Iruka. The formerly mentioned had gray gravity defying hair and all of his face covered except for an eye. Iruka had brown hair tied up in ponytail, and a scar across his nose. In an instant, both were standing in front of Naruto.

"Naruto, give me Sasuke and I'll take him to the hospital." he said snatching Sasuke before Naruto could even respond. "Make it back quickly. Some people are awaiting your return." Were the last words Kakashi said to Naruto before taking off at high speeds in the direction of Konoha with Sasuke.

"Get on, Naruto," Iruka said getting down on one knee to allow Naruto to climb onto his back.

Naruto sighed, "Yeah, okay."

_I guess it's okay since Sasuke was unconscious and all._" Was what Naruto thought to make himself believe this were true.

"**Are all mortals as retarded as you? Even a mental person could see who was hurt worse."** A monstrous voice roared inside Naruto's head.

"Shut up, fox, I just want to make it to the village." Naruto mumbled aloud as his vision started to blur. Iruka's pace gained a little speed as he felt Naruto's heart start to slow.

"**Have you forgotten who is keeping you alive puny mortal! It is **_**I**_**, and without me you would be dead!"** Shouted the fox, angered by Naruto's lack of fear and respect.

"No, but have you forgotten whose life you are tied to, because if I die you die, so shut up," was Naruto's tired reply. The beast growled and hollered, but Naruto didn't mind, because it kept him awake. He needed a distraction that would keep him from noticing the pain. The intensity of it was beginning to be unbearable, and all he wanted was to fall into a blissful sleep, so he could forget about it.

Upon approaching the gate Naruto saw no one there waiting for him, which made him wonder what Kakashi was talking about. Then it hit him, they weren't there for him, they were there for the return of Sasuke. It hurt Naruto that no one was there to greet him upon his arrival. No Sakura or Kakashi... The old hag wasn't even there for him. Being his naïve self, he didn't want to believe that, so he came up with an excuse for them. He figured it was probably just a busy day in the hospital or she was at a meeting or something. Iruka, feeling tired from the journey, slowly made his way to the hospital not even noticing the trails of blood Naruto was leaving.

"Iruka-sensei," said person looked over his shoulder to look at the blond boy talking, "I can walk in by myself. Thanks for taking me this far, though."

"Okay, Naruto, just be careful." Carefully, Iruka set Naruto down in front of the doors, then walked off.

He slowly entered the hospital and went to the receptionist's desk. He figured it should have been at least half an hour since Kakashi and Sasuke arrived in the village, so he asked for the room number and headed for that direction. In the hallway he was getting looks of hatred which he didn't mind anymore, but what really shocked him, was when a guy, a _doctor_, approached him.

"Young man I think you should have some medical attention," the guy said worriedly. He looked to be around his mid 20's and also wore a white doctor's coat.

"Huh?" Naruto asked wearily looking up at the young doctor.

"I said I think you should have some medical attention. Your getting blood all over the floor, and I still can't process how your even conscious. If you let me help you I ca-."

"No thanks. I'm Fine." Naruto interjected before he could even finish his sentence. Naruto never ever trusted doctors, as many times as they had poisoned him and tried to kill him when they thought he was sleep, he'd rather not take his chances again. He still has a hard time trusting Tsunade when she used her medical jutsu. He slid past the doctor and quickly made his way to Sasuke's room. Luckly for him there was an elevator, because the room he was heading to was on 4th floor. He made his way into the elevator and slowly walked to Sasuke's room. He was about to open the door when he heard people talking. He didn't like to be nosy but his curiosity ended up getting the best of him.

"...want Sasuke-kun to be executed." He heard the familiar voice of Sakura say as if frightened.

"So change the story to Sasuke's favor. Throw in some bad things about the demon, and if you do a well enough job, he'll live. You, Kakashi, we'll let you have vengeance for your sensei if you do the same. We will finally execute that demon once and for all, and you will be the hero." It was an old voice of a female Naruto couldn't quite recognize. He had heard it before, but couldn't remember when or where.

"I-I agree," Sakura said hesitantly

"Of course. What do say Kakashi about our little...deal?"

"I too shall hel..." but Kakashi didn't finish as he heard a knock on the door as it opened. It was Naruto.

Naruto tried so hard not to just break down. It was very tempting. The fox within him was ramming against his cage to be let out. Neither one wanted to be executed, but Naruto refused to hurt them even if they did go against him. Whether they betrayed him or not they would be his friends. All friendships have their ups and downs... right? Well he didn't know if they did or didn't, but he knew for sure he wasn't going to let them go.

They were some of his first friends, they were more important than his own life. His pink haired teammate and his sensei may have turned on him and were now were agreeing to help have him executed, but... it was only to save Sasuke, his best friend, from punishment. They weren't really going to execute him. It was just apart of their big master plan to make the others think differently. He tried his hardest to look as if he hadn't heard anything so that this 'big master plan' would work.

"Hey guys, I finally made it back," Naruto said as happily as he could.

"N-Naruto how long have you been here." Kakashi said worriedly hoping Naruto hadn't heard the conversation.

"Huh? Oh I just got here." He said looking around the room and saw what he expected; an old lady. "So, How's Sasuke-teme?"

"Don't say that about Sasuke-kun... Naruto."

_I wander what's wrong with Sakura,_ he thought._ Never has she said my name so nicely after insulting her love._

"**I guess you've forgotten she's your one way ticket to your – our – execution! Why care?" **Naruto didn't even have the strength to protest to that statement as he finally let the darkness consume him.

* * *

Naruto awoke and found himself very dizzy. It was very bright wherever he was, and it was making it very difficult to see. There was also someone in front of him he couldn't make out.

"Answer the question." Someone with a mask on his face demanded. What were these people talking about? He just woke up.

"Wh-what question?" Naruto's voice was hoarse and his throat hurt bad. From what? He didn't know. Naruto felt a whip come roughly in contact with his body. He took a sharp intake of breath and his eyes widened slightly.

It hurt, **"But not as much as having been betrayed by your whole team. Right?"** The Fox whispered in his head.

"I wasn't betrayed." Naruto spoke so low, only he and the being inside of him could here it.

The fox continued on with his ranting, completely ignoring Naruto's soft spoken words. **"The people you thought that cared about you most out of everyone else, betrayed you."** Naruto kept trying to tell himself they all had there reasons, but the logical side of him knew no reason was, nor would ever be good enough.

"**Admit it. I -no- **_**We**_** know they betrayed you. They are not your comrades, your friends... They are your enemy. Your nightmare."**

"No," Naruto silently sobbed. "They are my friends." Even if there was an age difference, they were his friends. "They wouldn't do that. Friends don't do that to each other."

"**Your right, but they aren't you friends."**

"I don't believe you, so leave me alone."

"**No matter how hard you try to convince yourself of everything you say, I know what your really thinking."**

"No you don't. Your just contained within me. You are not apart of me."

"**Oh on the contrary my soul holder. The seal that contains me was meant to merge us. And let me just inform you that it is doing its job just fine."**

"You lie." Naruto growled out quietly.

"**Let me tell you what you truly believe then, not what you want to believe: No pain you have been through in your entire life has ever felt like this, and it just won't stop."**

"No." Naruto said weakly.

"**You just want to find something more painful than this, correct? You are confused and don't know what is going on?"**

"No!" He said louder getting the attention of the person who was whipping him.

"**You do not care anymore. All you want to do is disappear and never come back."**

"NO! IT'S NOT TRUE! WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE?" He screamed, startling his torturer.

"**Why don't you just stop lying to yourself?"** Kyuubi whispered while Naruto once again passed out.

* * *

Naruto felt a little bit better, but he didn't know why. He hadn't eaten or drank anything since the retrieval mission for Sasuke. He had passed out many times during his torture sessions with the masked people and arguments with Kyuubi.

Now he found himself sitting down on a chair, chained down, with chakra suppression seals placed on his body.

"Uzumaki Naruto, how do you plead?" Asked the the judge.

"Not guilty. I brought him back after he tried to go to that snake bastard. It was a mission." He said surprisingly calm.

"I object to that statement your honor." said a civilian council member with pink hair. "The condition Uchiha-san was brought back in did not look like a simple attempt to bring him back, but to kill him. A Konoha shinobi I might add."

"Uchiha tried to kill Naruto during the retrieval mission, anyone could clearly see he wasn't planning on coming back, so naturally he had to result to force. Besides the moment the  
Uchiha decided to leave the village to join Orochimaru, was also the exact moment he stopped being a Konoha ninja." Jiraiya said.

"If Uchiha-san was trying to kill the Demon Brat it would have been best for the whole village." Said another council member.

"I have made a decision.I find Uzumaki Naruto guilty, for attempted murder on a fellow Konoha Shinobi. You shall have the decision on a public or private execution, which shall be held tomorrow at noon." The judge slammed her mallet onto the desk, "court is adjourned. She stood up rigidly and left the premises.

_Why? Why have you betrayed me too Tsunade-baachan, huh? Why? _Naruto thought to himself.

"**Accept it now? Do you now realize that they are your enemies?"**

**

* * *

**

Naruto didn't care if everyone saw him die or not, so the council decided to make it public. Naruto now knew that all the friends he thought he had were all just a dream. He had finally woken up to reality. He realized that everything he thought was true was just a dream he created for himself. Everything he once believed in was only a mere figment of his imagination... In other words a dream. With all his heart he wished he never would have woken up to the cruel truth of life. His life.

Naruto eyes scanned the audience awaiting for his head to be cut off by his own sensei. He could here the crowd's screams of joy.

"Any last words Naruto." Kakashi asked holding a sword directly above Naruto's neck.

"Yes. Don't ever call me Naruto." He said coldly. Kakashi nodded and brought his sword down chopping Naruto's head off and ending his life.

_I have brought vengeance for you Sensei._ Kakashi thought as he walked away from Naruto's now limp body.

* * *

Naruto looked around the vacant area that surrounding him. He felt light headed and his vision still had not come into focus. He could make out a bright light shining in his eyes that reminded him of the sun. Of his knowledge, neither Heaven nor Hell were supposed to have a sun. Just light that either came from... _purity?_ Naruto guessed, or the flames in Hell. Sunshine was not apart of his assumptions. He briefly wondered which afterlife he was in. Hell, because of the demon within him, or Heaven, because... well he didn't have a good reason for being in Heaven. He assumed since he wasn't... evil, he would at least be given a chance. He would admit to being a little rough around the edges with the pranks he pulled, because not all of them were as innocent as they seemed.

"What happened?" He mumbled aloud to himself as his sight was beginning to focus. He brought a hand to his forehead and began to massage his temples. He knew he was dead, but for some reason he didn't know why. _Maybe I'm not supposed remember._

"_**Maybe you choose not to remember."**_ A deep rough voice said.

"What?" Who was this? He may not have known Kyuubi long, but his monstrous voice was something that could not be forgotten.

"_**You are choosing not to remember what happened. Think hard. Do remember now? You were executed." **_He suddenly remember everything. His execution. His death. And most of all his naiveness -NO- stupidity. His eyes turned cold as his memories came pouring back to him.

His life.

His beatings.

His pain.

His demeanor became cold and his mood darkened. His sky blue eyes darkened and his face remained indifferent. These memories; Things that would forever remain with him. Haunting his night, yet haunting his day. Memories never to be forgotten. Memories-

"_**To learn from."**_ Naruto blinked and looked up at the man. Was this guy-

"**Reading your thoughts,"** Spoke the soft, angelic voice of a woman. **"I suppose he was."**

"What do mean he was reading my thoughts." Naruto asked suspiciously as he narrowed his eyes at them.

"**We are you guardian angels sent from Heaven and from Hell."**

"What? Guardian angels?"

"_**Yes moron, Guardian angels. We were sent from the Gods to guide you."**_

"Guide me through what?" He asked skeptically.

"**Through your journey." **The woman replied. **"You are the savior to this world."**

Naruto eyed them disbelievingly. "...Right so where am I...uh, what are your names?"

"_**We do not have names."**_ The man spoke.

"...Okay." He said thinking they were a little crazy. "So if you two are my 'Guardian Angels,' as you put it, Can you tell me where I am?" He said a bit coldly. He needed to keep his distance from people. He would not be betrayed, by someone he might later call his friend and the only way to guarantee that was to have no friends at all. Live a life in solitude.

"**Are you not going to give us our names."** The woman asked slightly offended.

"I wasn't planning on it." He spoke truthfully. If they didn't have a name it had to be for some important reason. "Did you want one?"

"**If it would not inconvenience you then that would be nice."** Naruto stood up slowly from his position on the ground. That is when he realize something. He had a body. His head was connected to a body. He felt the area where his head and body had been separated and notice no scar. He looked down at his body, and there it was scars and all. _Weird, _he thought. To have a body full of scars from his childhood and yet not have the scar that ended his his life was weird.

"_**We do not have all day for this naming session going on. We have work to do and not a lot of time to do it."**_ Grumbled the man. Naruto being brought out of his thoughts looked at the two of them only to see nothing, but light... and dark. They were orbs of light and dark. One being white and the other black. One to his left and one to his right. _**"If you are going to name us, do it now. We have a task to complete and people to save."**_

"**Do not mind him Naruto. I have known him for over 3 Million years and he has always been short tempered and impatient." **The harmonious feminine voice came from the white orb.

"Satoru," He said pointing to the black orb. "And Chie." He turned his eyes towards the white one.

"**Wisdom, eh?"**

"Yes." He simply replied knowing she already knew why if what they said was true about the mind reading.

"**My Name is Chie, sent from the God above, Kami, as your protector."**

"_**My Name is Satoru sent from the God below, Enma, as your protector."**_

They both said simultaneously. The blobs of light and dark swirled around each other, before entering Naruto's body through his heart. Naruto didn't even realize what was going on. There was no pain and as such was no reason for him to sort his thoughts at the time. His body glowed a bright gray showing the mixtures between the black and white energy.

"What have you done?" He asked as the power decreased. He felt a strange substance growing upon his face and energy being gathered at his side, forming around him.

"**Just think of us as your new conscience-"**

"_**We give you the better judgment." **_Interrupted Satoru.

"**I represent the protector of mankind. The light in their eyes." **

"_**While I am the darkness, the evil, the representation of mankind's enemy."**_


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you everyone for the the alerts, favorites, and reviews. Anyways, I was typing this chapter when I suddenly had a great idea. But in order to have this great idea I need a... pairing. Now, I don't like pairings in adventure stories, and that's exactly why I am doing this. (Probably doesn't make sense to you, I know.) I think it would probably have more meaning if you guys chose, but if don't, oh well. There's not a poll or anything set up, because I don't care who gets used, so review or message me, it doesn't matter.

**Mankind**

**Chapter 2:** Learning New Things

* * *

"What have you done?" He asked as the power decreased. He felt a strange substance growing upon his face and energy being gathered at his side.

"**Just think of us as your new conscience-"**

"_**We give you the better judgment." **_Interrupted Satoru.

"**I represent the protector of mankind. The light in their eyes." **

"_**While I am the darkness, the evil, the representation of mankind's enemy."**_

* * *

After both introductions were given, the gray energy came back to life. It glowed brighter and brighter, before disappearing and leaving nothing in its wake.

Meanwhile, Naruto laid in his sewer-like conscious where he had met Kyuubi. His eyes remained closed as he remembered that weird feeling. It had felt like something was growing on his body, but he was not sure. Naruto raised his hand and he carefully touch his face. His clawed fingers scrapped against the bone-like armor that covered his body creating a loud screeching sound.

"What's this?" Naruto questioned cautiously as he widened his unseen eyes. He expected to see two orbs of light, but all he saw was darkness. Panicking, he tried desperately to pull whatever was on his face off. He pulled and yanked, but nothing happened. "What's going on?!" He nearly yelled.

"**It's apart of your new form,"**Chie answered.

"What? Being blind?! Change me back, now!" He growled out threateningly. "I demand that you do it since I did not ask for it. If you don't–"

"_**You'll what? Kill us?" **_Satoru scoffed.**_ "Good luck with trying to kill orbs of light in your mind."_**

"Don't worry, Naruto. Your not blind, you just can't see anything as of now because your in your mind," Chie said trying to calm him down.

"But... I don't get it. Last time I was in my mind I was able to see Kyuubi, so why not now?" Naruto asked in confusion, getting up from his position on the ground.

"**You have a new type of... sight, and since all the the things in your mind scape technically aren't real, you can't see."**

"New? What do you mean 'new type of sight,'" Naruto asked hesitantly. "Do I look like and have the sight of the fox or something?"

"**Not exactly, it's just that..."**Chie trailed off.

"Just that..." Naruto urged, trying to get her finish her sentence.

"_**It doesn't matter, you'll find out eventually. Now, let me explain the details of this mission,"**_Satoru said impatiently. Naruto's eyes slowly started to notice a scenery change, and he watched the plain black background change into a background with specks.

Naruto gazed around at the blue stars surrounding him, silently questing his whereabouts. Noticing there was no ground, he realized he was floating in mid air. Now his first reaction was to scream bloody murder, which he did. Last time he checked, it was not humanly possible to float in the sky.

"**But you have to remember, you are not human, your dead."**

"_**Anyways," **_Satoru began, **_"The world we are bringing you to is world not like ninjas. This world does not exist around chakra, and is, in a way, more advance than yours. They do not use kunais or jutsu , nor do they live in the Elemental Nations. In this world, there are three main types of beings: humans, shinigamis, and Hollows."_**

"Wait," Naruto commanded. "Tell me about my new sight first, then I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

"**You See, Naruto, your sight is mixture between the sight your supposed to have, and Kyuubi's interference," Chie began.** **"Because the world you come from revolves around a different essence of life, you don't have the same capabilities as some of the people from the world you'll be going to. So in order to fix that, we were giving you the sight needed for your mission, but Kyuubi messed it up in a way."**

"Will you just tell me what's wrong with my sight?" Naruto growled out in annoyance.

"_**You see the world by the sources of heat and aura,"**_Satoru said bluntly.

"**Which means things either present themselves as either blue or red. If something shows up as blue, that usually indicates that that is a non-living object, or a cold blooded animal. If you see red that means that whatever you looking at is giving a source of heat, usually meaning that whatever your looking at is alive."**

"Not that I'm agreeing to this "mission," as you so dub it, but how the hell do you expect me to complete this it if I can't find my enemy."

"_**Enemies, moron, and that's where aura comes in. If you are looking at a simple human with no type of power, then all you'll see is red. But if your looking at a shinigami, then you'll see red, indicating they're alive, but it will be outlined by a light blue. Depending on how powerful they are, the line might be thick, revealing they have strength, or thin, showing they are weak. The same goes for a hollow, but the difference is that they are bordered by black instead of blue."**_

"**And, Naruto,"**Chie called, getting Naruto's attention. **"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you have no choice in whether you help or not. Your fate has already been decided."**

This time Naruto scoffed. "Just to let you know, I don't believe in fate, so whatever I choose to do with my second chance is up to me."

"_**You'll learn pretty soon, you undeserving mortal, that to follow the Gods orders will be in your best interest,"**_Satoru spoke harshly. _**"Now, your destiny, if you prefer, is beginning." **_They began falling at fast speeds towards a spherical shape of blue, green, white, and somewhat brown. _**"I'll explain what is to be done."**_

_**

* * *

**_

Sasuke tiredly awoke from his unconscious state. He couldn't remember where was nor what was going on. The last thing he could remember was leaving Konoha to get power and fighting Naruto, but everything from that point on was blank. Had he won? Did he have the same eyes as_ him? _He was hoping not, because then, he would be following in the exact same footsteps as the one he hated

"Sasuke-kun, you're awake! I'm so happy!" Yelled his former pink haired teammate as she latched onto his neck. He cursed himself as his fists clenched together, apparently he had lost the fight to the dobe.

"Where is he?" He asked. Sasuke watched as the girl unhooked herself from his person, and began to fidget. Something told him that even if he had wanted the same eyes as his brother, he wasn't going to get them. "Well..." She spoke hesitantly. It did not take this long to answer a simple question.

"Who?" She questioned, feigning ignorance. Her eyes shifted to anywhere, but him. She felt extremely uneasy with the stare he gave her.

"Sakura, stop playing stupid. Naruto," he answered impatiently. "Where is Naruto?"

"He's... he's dead." Sasuke's eyes widened and he shuffled out of the bed. Did he have the Mangekyo? He hadn't been trying to kill Naruto, but if he did... it didn't matter too much. When he was battling with his former best friend, he hadn't thought he'd have the will power or heart to kill Naruto, but if he had, all the better.

While he stood in front of the mirror, he began pumping chakra into his eyes. They turned to the three tomoed red eye, but didn't go any further. He pushed larger amounts in, but nothing happened. Realizing they would not go any further, he narrowed his eyes through the mirror to look at Sakura.

"Are you lying to me?" He turned abruptly around and glared at her full force with sharingan ablaze.

"Never, Sasuke-kun. I would never lie to you." She said quickly, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Then why? Why don't I have the Mangekyo." His question wasn't to her, but rather to himself. "If he's dead, that should mean I killed him, then why don't I have the eyes?" His questions continued until Sakura finally interrupted him.

"He... you didn't kill him." Those words immediately got Sasuke's attention. "He was executed about a week after he brought you back." Tears poured from her eyes as she sniffled repeatedly.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked in complete shock.

"About a two weeks," She replied. So that must have meant Naruto was executed a week ago. Sasuke knew he felt something akin to sympathy for the blond haired boy, but wasn't sure if he could call it sorrow.

"What did he do?"

Sakura instantly fell to her knees and began crying. "It's all my fault! I blamed him and now he's dead. He didn't deserve it, but... but I did it to save you."

Sasuke could not help the powerful emotions of rage and sadness that finally overwhelmed him. He was the one that was supposed to kill his best friend, so he could one day obtain the _"eyes" _if he so choosed; not one of these weaklings from Konoha. Yet, even after knowing this he felt a bit somber. His first and only friend was dead, and he felt an unimaginable sadness from the occurrence, almost as bad as the massacre.

He scoffed at himself, he had gotten too close to that blond idiot. Any closer, and he would have considered them brothers as Naruto had suggested. Letting them become closer was completely unacceptable in Sasuke's eyes. It would just mean another person would be able to deceive him.

"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked worriedly. He was just leaning there against the wall as he stared off into space. It unnerved her. She didn't want him to be mad at her, when she was already upset with her own actions. What she wanted was for him to comfort her at the very least.

Sasuke straightened abruptly from the wall, planning to do some training. He knew that after his first attempt of escape, they wouldn't send some measly genin after him. Not to mention they would probably have him heavily guarded to insure no one could retrieve him from this weak village.

Sakura, too, was about to stand from her place on ground, but was instantly stopped by one of Sasuke's glares. "Leave me be, Sakura, I think you've done enough." Sasuke then walked out of the room intent on finding an empty training ground.

* * *

Tsunade walk slowly back to her office, wondering what time it was. She had sat in a meeting with about twenty shinobi clan heads discussing matters of the village, but more importantly, the last loyal Uchiha. She didn't know how long they had bickered about what to do, but she knew that it had to be at least half a day. One third had wanted him to continue with his life in the village under surveillance, while a different third of the group had wanted him to be killed. Then, anyone that wasn't in one of those two groups, had wanted him to reproduce first, then, let him do as he pleased.

Until they got this all figured out, she couldn't do anything to the Uchiha, but let him do as he wanted for the time being. She had the village's strongest squad of ANBU, which was a five man squad, monitoring him constantly. Though it wasn't Sasuke she was worried about, it was what he attracted. The Uchiha was like honey to a bee, and that bee just so happened to be Orochimaru.

She would have preferred for Jiraiya to watch the traitor, seeing as he was the closes in strength to the snake sannin, but that was no longer a possibility. The day after Naruto's execution, Jiraiya had revoked his status as a Konoha Shinobi, and since then, has not been seen by anyone. It was like he disappeared completely of the face of the map.

The fifth Hokage didn't know what to do. On top of the disappearance of Jiraiya, a great sum of ninja and civilian were being very rebellious, since the execution, and there was no time for that. Konoha needed to precaution themselves in case of an attack from Otogakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in Sound.

If those five that were defeated were, indeed, Orochimaru's body guards, then that meant they had to have been some of the strongest in the Sound village, of course, ranked below the Otokage. It was only a matter of time before the leader of Oto himself came to retrieve what he desired.

* * *

Naruto could barely start to make out civilization. From what he could see, many of the buildings from this world were about three times as large as the Hokage's Tower. His new vision wasn't as bad as he had though it would be. As he neared objects, their figure became precise, from the structure to the detailing. That was not something he was expecting. He had thought that everything would turn out as blur.

"What aspects of Kyuubi did I receive?" Naruto asked calmly. Even though, those two balls of light were not next to him, but rather in his mind, he knew they still heard him.

"**Your hearing has intensified, because you now have the ears of a fox; shape and all,"**Chie stated.

"So it is as I said earlier, I resemble the fox?" Naruto asked in complete disgust.

**"No, you don't have a snout, even though your sense of smell has increased, nor do you have a tail,"** Chie defended. **"Your attitude and personality has been altered, though. You might or might not have noticed your thoughts of destruction, or how your patience has shortened. You have also become very easy to anger."**

"Anything useful," Naruto asked in irratation at receiving attributes from the demon.

**_"Not one thing,"_** Saturo said in disdain. **_"Glad to see we're thinking on the same page here. The fox's unrivaled, and limitless amount of power was somehow lost during the merging. Any power you have is probably nothing to be proud of."_** Just as those final words were spoken, Naruto crashed into an open field. People gathered around, each questioning what was going on.

* * *

"You feel that?" An orange haired boy whispered to his raven haired, female companion.

"Yeah, lets go before someone gets hurt. This one is more powerful than the others you have faced, so be careful."

The male nodded in understanding as the two excused themselves from the class they were in.


	3. Chapter 3

Another chapter (finally)! Again thank you, all, for the reviews, and favorites. Then of course, thank you, alerters. Reviews only tell me what you guys think (very useful), and favorites only say you like this story a lot, amongst the other hundreds of stories in your favorites list (you know who are). But alerts, they show me that people like this story and want to keep coming back. Hur-rah!

**Mankind**

**Chapter 3:** Life or Death

* * *

**"...Any power you have is probably nothing to be proud of."** Just as those final words were spoken, Naruto crashed into an open field. People gathered around, each questioning what was going on

"You feel that?" An orange haired boy whispered to his raven haired, female companion.

"Yeah, lets go before someone gets hurt. This one is more powerful than the others you have faced, so be careful."

The male nodded in understanding as the two excused themselves from the class.

* * *

Naruto didn't no what to do. He was surrounded like a fish in water. People were muttering inaudible things and staring at him as if he were a freak show. He knew he probably didn't look completely human, but it was no reason to look at him strangely. And oddly enough, he felt like he did in his younger years. When people would just send him glares for a reason he couldn't comprehend.

He stood abruptly from his position on the ground and began to slowly walk backwards. Something in his mind told him not to go in the opposite direction, yet he couldn't understand why. Figuring it probably had to do with instincts received from the fox, he continued the direction he was going.

That's when he noticed the oddity of the situation. No one was looking at him. They were looking at the crater made from his landing, still whispering to each other. Wanting to find out what they were talking about, he got closer.

"It's happened, again," came one of the whispers. "I wonder what's been going on. This has been happening quite a bit during the past the month."

So, he couldn't be seen. Did that mean they couldn't hear him also? He thought about giving it a try, before deciding he it would be better not to draw attention to himself just in case they could hear him.

"Hey, you!" He heard a shout come from behind him. Not thinking they were talking to him, he continued trying to get out of the crowd. "Fine, since you want to play stupid, I'll just attack."

Naruto felt the rise of power, and that got his attention. He turned around just in time to see a what looked liked a tall, spiky haired male jump at him with a sword just as tall.

"**_Shinigami," _**Satoru muttered from inside Naruto's head. **_"He is one of the beings able to see you, which means _****move." **Naruto did as told, quickly dodging the incoming attack.

"I'm guessing enemy Number One?" Naruto questioned getting ready to attack.

"**No, no one is your enemy." **Chie stated, immediately stopping Naruto in mid jump. The hesitation was instantly noticed by his attacker, who acted upon it. But Naruto wasn't a ninja –former ninja– for nothing. He lowered his body, feeling the sword being aimed at his head. The male glided right over him, and Naruto swiftly kicked him on his back.

Naruto once again rose from the ground and began to leave not wanting to deal with him at the moment.

"Ichigo!" A female voice yelled. "Stop eating dirt and get up. He's getting away." The male's impulsive reply was to shout back at the woman, instead of pay attention. So during this time, Naruto jumped over the crowd that was starting to disperse itself, and quickly ran off.

Finding this time appropriate to finally respond back to Chie, he spoke. "If there is no enemy, why am I here?"

"You are to protect the enemies from each other," Chie answered.

"That makes absolutely no sense, but you know what? It doesn't even matter anymore, because from now on, anyone who attacks me is an automatic enemy." Naruto said in annoyance. "What is it I am supposed to do now that I'm here?" Naruto asked, not giving Chie a chance to reply.

* * *

Where was it and why couldn't it be found? He searched high and low all throughout the country looking for it. If the rumors spoken were true, then it would have went back to Makai, but it wasn't there. He had tried multiple times to summon the great the beast, but every time it was a dud.

They were so close to finishing their goal, so close to becoming the all powerful. Before the death of the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, six of the nine bijuu had been located, but now, since the fox demon could not be located, they were falling behind. The six demons that had been located, were all sealed inside a human sacrifice, while the other three were still Makai.

With the disappearance of Kyuubi, they couldn't afford to lose any more. All jinchuuriki were under the tight surveillance of Akatsuki. The members of Akatsuki were under orders to eliminate anyone that gave reason to suspicious, and to keep watch for the Kyuubi no Kitsune, or its jinchuuriki, because that was the only probable answer.

If the demon fox could not be found, then that meant somehow the jinchuuriki had managed to live through his execution, and though it was unlikely, it was possible. The Kyuubi could have made some type of pack with the boy by transferring over some of its demonic powers, in order to insure its survival. Again, it was very unlikely, but that was the only sensible reason for the disappearance of Kyuubi.

* * *

It had been one week exactly since the encounter with the strange looking hollow, but Ichigo couldn't get his mind of it. The thing had seemed distracted, yet it had taken him down as if it were nothing. And for the first since he became a substitute shinigami, he was getting restless. Every hollow he had ever defeated always came back within a day, but this one...

"Ichigo!" Said person turned to his overly happy friend, avoiding the arm the that was about to casually rest on his shoulder. This, in turn, made the unsuspecting boy fall face first into the ground, because of the unnoticed movement.

"It's time for lunch," a short boy with black hair, stated calmly, while walking up to Ichigo's desk with an incredibly tall, dark shinned boy in tow.

Ichigo nodded his head in understanding and thanks, taking notice of the empty classroom. It didn't take long for the boys to reach their destination; the roof of the school. There, they were greeted by the girls in their class. They were not surprised by this any longer, since it began happening only weeks ago when Rukia arrived, but it was still pretty weird.

"So, Ichigo, what were you daydreaming about?" Asked his friend, Keigo. "Could it be some beautiful lady that we have yet to meet?" He asked in not only excitement, but slight annoyance. "You always get the girls, Ichigo. First Tatsuki and Orihime, then Rukia, and don't deny it. We all know you hang out all hours of day doing who knows what..."

Tatsuki and Rukia did not blush like Orihime, but instead became angered, as if insulted, at the insinuation. After punching him around like a punching bag, they went back to eating lunch and talking amongst each other, while Keigo sat on the railing surrounding the roof and sulked.

"Ichigo, seriously, though. You were completely out of it during class. What was going on?" Tatsuki asked in concern.

"Nothing." Even though no one else noticed it, his response was a little too quick, too rushed, to be the truth. But knowing he didn't want to talk about it, she shrugged it off and let it go, then continued chatting with the others.

Unbeknownst to her, she wasn't the only one who noticed Ichigo's hasty reply. "It's the hollow, isn't it?" It was suppose to be spoken as question, but Rukia stated, as if knowing she was right.

He didn't answer or give any indication that what she said was, indeed, correct. He simply glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"There's something weird about that hollow. His appearance is a main factor, but also his reaction to you," She whispered in a low tone. "Hollows, weak or strong, are attracted to large amounts of spiritual power. You, in this case, are unnaturally strong for a substitute shinigami, so one would think he would have attacked you, yet, it ran. It's confusing, but it also worries me because this hollow would have put up a decent fight, unlike the others, with the power it contained..."

She paused to order her thoughts.

"I have a feeling that it is planning something. What an why, are the question I'm trying figure out... All I can say, Ichigo, is that if a hollow comes here once, it will always come back. No matter what." After that, both stayed silent for the rest of lunch.

Just as they were all (excluding Keigo) getting ready to stand, so they could leave the roof the bell rung indicating the end of lunch. Keigo, still in his own little world, was startled by the loud noise that sounded. He jumped back in surprise, but of course, forgot he was sitting of the rail of the roof, which indubitably, led to the ground, dozens of feet below.

It all had happened so fast. There were gasps from most people, while others shouted his name. Ichigo acted by running forward, not wanting to lose a friend, but he and everyone else knew he would never make it. Keigo began to slide off the railing, and he closed his knowing the inevitable was about to happen.

And just as he thought that would be the last time he'd see any of his friend's faces, he felt someone grab his arm. At first he thought it was his mind playing a trick on him, but after spending a few seconds in that position, he cracked open an eye lid, only to be dropped to the ground, once again. This time, he let out an ear piercing scream that could most likely be hear for miles.

"I'm dead! I'M DEAD! I'm..." His words were lost in his throat as he gazed around the rooftop. No one was looking at him, but at something behind him. So he turned his sight to the figure behind, only to see a teen with wild, blond spiky hair, jump of the school.

His classmates ran past him as he sat their looking dazed. This was his first life or death situation, and he had only lived because some blond saved him. He knew that boy didn't go to Karakura High School, because Keigo had never seen. His hair was like Ichigo's, it was brightly colored and couldn't be missed no matter hard any one tried.

* * *

Naruto landed soundlessly on the tree branch as he stood under the coverage of the leaves. He could hear their whispers of awe, worry, and puzzlement. He had help that boy, because he had nothing better to do, and for the reason he couldn't just sit watch that Keigo boy die like that.

He straightened his cloths and brushed off the non-existent dirt, then leaned against the tree. He had learned from Chie and Satoru that another ability he had gained from the fox, was the ability to shape shift into his original form, so he had been watching those kids interactions for the past week, but mostly the raven haired girl and orange haired boy. Today had confirmed his suspicions about them being the two from last week, so he was going to need to keep a closer eye on them.

And that brought up the disadvantages to being in the form he was currently in.

His hearing and sense of smell had both remained the same, but his sight was another story. He could see, color and everything, but he couldn't see the unseen. Meaning hollows and shinigami, were a lost cause to him. He couldn't even sense them unless they had a lot of power, but even that would simply be dull notification of their presence. In this form he was, for the most part, a useless human, as Satoru had put it, but with perks.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is longer than most of the rest, because the last chapter was out three days late, so I present to you the latest chapter… after these messages.

I'm sorry for those of you who like dialogue more than... non-dialogue? Because I was trying to test myself to see if I could have not a lot of dialogue in this chapter, _but_ I gave up half way through. That was one of the hardest things for me to do, and a lot of thinking on my part to word the paragraphs in a way that makes since, so the subject at hand was not all over the place.

I'm also not going to be here for a few weeks, so I'm going to try and type up a chapter and post it on the 11th instead of the 18th. I might not post the 25th either, because I might have to stay longer than expected. Just warning you of what's to come.

* * *

Doing those responses took a lot time and too much space

Thanks everyone for the reviews, alerts, and favorites.

**Mankind**

**Chapter 4:** Appreciation

* * *

Today had confirmed his suspicions about them being the two from last week, so he was going to need to keep a closer eye on them.

And that brought up the disadvantages to being in the form he was currently in.

His sight, hearing and sense of smell had all remained the same, but his sight was another story. He could see, color and everything, but he couldn't see the unseen. Meaning hollows and shinigami, were a lost cause to him. He couldn't even sense them unless they had a lot of power, but even that would simply be dull notification of their presence. In this form he was, for the most part, a useless human, as Satoru had put it, but with perks.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Keigo's near death experience, and the his blond savior was the talk of the whole class. Keigo had claimed to the others that he had seen the face of the boy to get a bit more popular, even if it didn't last long. Like expected, many people crowded around him during free-time to question him about the guys looks, but Keigo was ready for this. He had planned his story the night before, so it stayed consistent.

"It was very hard to tell what he looked like with the tattoos on his face, but he wasn't old, fairly young actually. His bangs covered his eyes, but there was a tell-tale sign of black uni-brow underneath, which means his hair was clearly dyed to that bright color. When he smirked out into the distance, there were some noticeable buck teeth."

At that explanation, many people (mostly girls) let out a dejected sigh. They were hoping for this savior to of had the appearance of a fallen angel like the many stories they had read. The rest of the people who didn't care much for this males appearance, where usually lost in their thoughts about this boy that had saved their friend and classmate. If they were interested in this person's looks, it was so they'd be able to locate him.

Because, logically speaking, how many people in Karakura had that shade of hair? Mostly likely none, excluding the guy in mention.

Some of them were very tempted to put themselves in potential danger, but if something went wrong and he didn't come, then... well, for obvious reasons, they didn't like to continue along with that thought. So instead of becoming dare devils, they settled for planning search groups to find this boy. They set out as soon as school ended, and stayed out until their curfews.

As the days went by with no clues as to who this boy was, the groups started to disband. One by one they left until it was down to just three; Tatsuki, Orihime, and Chad. Many were surprised that some of the first few people to give-up search was Keigo, Ichigo, and Rukia. But each had their own reasons for abandoning this "mission," as they deemed it.

Neither Ichigo or Rukia had the time, because of the recent increase in hollows. They believed this had something to do with the mysterious hollow they had met, so had no time to think about a blond haired boy when their thoughts were already preoccupied. But rather then telling the class about their secret lives, they used the excuse of having helping around Ichigo's father's Hospital.

Keigo, on the other hand, actually _could_ have gone, but had not _wanted_ to go. He was afraid of what everyone would think when they found out that he had lied about seeing the face of his savior. So instead of helping the progress of his doom, he told them his sister wouldn't allow him to. When confusion overtook them, he explained that, because of his near death experience, she was worried about losing her brother now. That was, no doubt, a lie, because for one thing, he hadn't even told her.

* * *

Things were going from bad to worse faster than she could ever imagine. Barely two months had passed since Naruto's execution, and already, they had lost two alliances; one with the Wave Country, and the other with Snow Country. They weren't big losses of trade and transport, but that was because they went hand in hand. If Tsunade was truthful with herself, she would have to say they were more trouble than they were worth.

Konoha's deal with Wave was shipping transportation for food in return. During the time this deal was made, Wave was trying to bounce back, so it didn't have much to offer other than shipping ports, so traded some of those for food. But during that time, Konoha had no treaties with any country over seas, so Tsunade could not understand why it was made in the first place. For a good couple of months, Konoha gave food to that country, even though they had no use for the ports.

That's where Snow Country entered; a country over seas. In this alliance, Snow Country was trading minerals for food. They, like Wave, were a bit lacking in that area, so thought it necessary to ask for substance. But the catch with that, was transferring the goods to Konohagakure. Snow, unlike Konoha, had shipping ports to pick up their goods, but they would not deliver them, because that was not in the terms of the agreement. Konoha either had to pay a great sum of money for the delivery, or provide their own, and thats exactly what they did, using their treaty with Wave.

In order to keep both treaties useful, they tried to stay on good terms with those countries, bending partially to their will, and keeping them happy. All in all, this caused way too much work in her opinion, and was sending ninja that could be training for the possible attack on Konoha, on useless missions. So it was no harm done in these treaty cancellations, just time wasted.

Speaking of attacks, Konoha's border patrol had informed her of sightings of several dozens of Oto ninja coming in the direction of Konoha. This was a major problem. No one knew who the group was composed of, just that they were coming from Oto. That created a definite possibility that Orochimaru might be within one of those groups of Shinobi. That was why, even though it was reported to her yesterday, she already had a couple dozen teams of Shinobi already at the border.

If the battle took place at the border rather than in the village, then ultimately, there would be less casualties for the people of Konoha. Hopefully, there were none at all, but that was only a fool's dreams.

* * *

Naruto watched on impassively as he sat right in front of the battle happening before him. He sat perched on a light pole as an orange haired kid –Ichigo– fought with some red hair shinigami for a girl by the name of Rukia. They, Rukia and Ichigo, were the two he had seen in the beginning, the ones he was keeping tabs on to find out if they should truly should be dubbed as enemies or not. The shinigami.

For once, he was glad he didn't just forget about them like he would have with any other person, for there was a whole other story behind their own. Apparently, this Rukia had committed treason by transferring her powers to a mortal, so was up for execution. The oddest thing, though, was that she went without a fight (most likely because she didn't stand a chance) with the people who came to take her to her death.

Then, some blue-haired boy –that for some reason looked familiar– went to help her. A quincy. Apparently, he wasn't as strong as these two people, so it wasn't long before he was knocked out and left for dead. As if on cue, Ichigo came waltzing onto the scene, ready to save his newest friend, while Naruto watched with hardened eyes as the battle unfolded.

Why hadn't the people he had considered friends do this for him?

Naruto came out of his thoughts as he felt a big power surge. So this was the teen's true strength. Interesting. Ichigo spoke about how he didn't know what was going on, but saying he liked it. Those words right there indicated to Naruto that he was probably a power hound. His tone of voice –in Naruto's opinion– sounded slightly crazed from the overwhelming power.

He got a few hits on the red haired shinigami, but that was it. Without noticing (or knowing what was going on), the boy was struck by the raven haired shinigami that had not engaged in combat at all throughout the whole ordeal. Words were exchanged, but in the end, Ichigo lost, and Rukia was captured, being taken back to the soul society. Naruto stayed long enough to see some man, in a green and white hat, retrieve Ichigo, and walk off.

So, Satoru and Chie were right when they said there was no enemy, because both shinigami and hollows killed people. Throughout this whole fight, there had been threats on two human lives. They may of had special powers with their being mortal, but all in all, they were still human. So the war between the two creatures, probably had something to do with disagreement on when a human is to be killed?

One side killing for eating, and the other side because some humans stood in their pathway?

Yes, he was completely satisfied that he had watched them.

* * *

Sasuke leaned onto the railing, waiting for his sensei to show. Ever since his attempted defection, his days had been filled with nonstop training, rarely even stopping for food unless necessary. He would train until he felt he couldn't get up, or until his chakra reserves ran low, and then do it again the next day. This wasn't a forced routine pushed onto him, but rather one he decided to do himself to become stronger. His sensei was there merely to supervise and teach him.

But it wasn't just him and Kakashi, it was also Sakura. She didn't seem too upset anymore about Naruto, and was, once again, asking for dates, so Sasuke assumed she got over the execution. They also had a new team member by the name of Sai to fulfill the missing spot of a third team member for the chunin exams that were being held in Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand.

Sai was an odd character, and Sasuke found himself wondering if this would have been the person to take his spot had he succeeded in leaving the village, and had Naruto not died. Sai's eyes looked to be dull and lifeless, all the while having a smile on his face. And although Sasuke would never would admit it, this guy got under his skin. There were many times he just wanted to punch Sai's face in, but didn't. There were also quite a few times he found himself silently (in his head) rooting Sakura on, when she went to punch Sai.

If there was one thing Sasuke and Sakura both agreed with, it was, hands down, that Sai was a bastard. But even if Sai was one, Sasuke also had to admit the boy had skills in the art of a ninja. He was a good assessment to the team unlike the dobe.

They were all improving, even Sakura. She was slowly drifting into the ways of a medic, but not quite for respectable reasons in Sasuke's eyes. She was doing it not because she wanted to help people in general, but rather to help Sasuke. Every time the young Uchiha would train until practically powerless, she would feel bad that she couldn't do anything to help him. At least, he reasoned, she wasn't doing it to win his affections. Maybe it meant she was finally getting over him? Probably not...

"Hey, guys," Kakashi greeted, poof-ing into the clearing, while at the same time, halting Sasuke's thinking. Sakura and Sasuke were both shocked to the core, though it barely showed on Sasuke with the widening of his eyes, that Kakashi, for once, was on time.

"Good morning, Kakashi-san," Sai replied, noticing that neither one of his teammates were going to. Kakashi merely scratched the back of his head and eye smiled.

"Well, I came to tell you that training is canceled for today," he informed. "Tsunade-sama asked to lead an important mission, so I can't train you all for a couple of weeks." He was only early to his team meeting this one time, because his mission was supposed to start for Tsunade at 7:00am sharp. Right now, it was 9:30, give or take a few minutes. He didn't want his team waiting for him when he wasn't going to be there.

He didn't give them a chance to question him on this mission of his by leaving as soon as they opened their mouth.

* * *

For the past week, Naruto had learned more about his powers, and things of what to do and what not to do. Chie had told him that he had one weeks time. For what? He didn't know. But he knew, instead of having to keep tabs on the shinigami, he could use that time wisely and train so he could become more powerful.

Satoru had let it be known that Naruto still had chakra, but had more or less , the amount of a new born baby. Naruto had tried for a couple of days to increase it, and it was now larger, but only by a sliver. He also found out (the hard way) that if he uses all of that chakra, he could, and most likely would, die. So he was making sure to be extremely careful when trying to increase its supply, although, Chie had said it would increase on its own in due time to its original amount.

He had also learned the only way he could die if he was in his hollow form (other than chakra exhaustion) was if he were to have his head completely severed. Even though the spirits within his body denied it, Naruto believed there to be some type of connection between this way of death and his execution. So in the end, he was to busy thinking about why he was betrayed than to be happy that it was going to be harder for him to die.

None –if there are any– of the special abilities have manifested in him yet, but he didn't mind. When he was alive he didn't have any Kekkei Genkai, so it was no loss no gain.

He had also learned more about the Soul Society, and how that was the home of shinigami, and souls sent there, while the place for hollows was Hueco Mundo. The rankings of these creatures was different in name, but nevertheless the same. Anywhere he went, people would always be ranked by power.

He caught on pretty quickly, but most of it was still a bit confusing.

**"It's time."** Were the words Chie whispered inside his mind.

"For...?" Naruto drawled, somewhat annoyed at how vague she was being.

**"To help change the destiny of this world,"** she answered. Three portals opened creating three, very different images. One of a mask, the other of a white, sky-scraping building, and another one a picture of a kunai. **"The mask directs you to Hueco Mundo, the building to the Soul Society, and the kunai... back to the Elemental Nations."** Naruto stared at that specific portal eyes wide and mouth open.

**_"Now, is not the time for your petty revenge, Naruto,"_** Satoru said sternly, completely serious. **_"Now, is the time to help these people change the world."_**

Naruto's mouth turned into a light sneer, while he glared at open air.

"Whatever." He agreed, these people really needed some help with their messed up ideals.

So…

…he jumped.


	5. Chapter 5

Dang technical glitches, stopping me from updating...

Yeah, but that's not only thing. Here's what happen, I came back from my trip  
(to New York) and began to type up the chapter, but then I was logging into my account a week or so later, but it had a glitch in it, so I couldn't. I didn't try to log in into my account afterwards, because I'm lazy, and then I left on another trip, but this time to Disney World.

So basically, you can blame the wait on laziness.

By the way, Don't expect this story to follow the bleach time line, 'cause it's not. It took me forever to get past this first bleach phase, and it wasn't even that long.

Anyways, onto more important matters.

_**Voting Ordeals**_

**Poll**

Naruto/Sakura...3 (1%)  
Naruto/Tatsuki...9 (5%)  
Naruto/Hinamori...11 (7%)  
Naruto/Rukia...12 (7%)  
Naruto/Orihime...15 (9%)  
Naruto/Neliel Tu Oderschvank...22 (14%)  
Naruto/No One...36 (23%)  
Naruto/Yoruichi...48 (30%)

(...I felt as if I were listing prices...)

I am very happy with all the votes that were received. There were 92 unique voters, which makes me me wonder which of you didn't vote. But no harm done.

**Hinata Pairing?**

(...bet that got your attention, didn't it?)

**First and foremost, I've noticed there have been some people preferring a Naruto/Hinata pairing (three or four in total...can't really remember), so does anyone else? I really wasn't thinking Naruto/Hinata because I had thought there was a whole bunch. Keyword being _thought_. Well, actually, there is... and that happens to make up a lot of the _hetrosexual_ archive.**

**Okay...that's a lie because after further investigation, I do believe it's Sasuke/Sakura...**

**Bu, anyways, there is a new poll that I have set up. This is ONLY for people who want a Naruto/Hinata coupling more than any other pairing. If you think it's too bothersome to go and vote for something that might not win, then don't. Makes no difference to me. It will only be up for two weeks, which is my next update date (that's a lie seeing how I haven't updated in almost a year; comment made on 6/23/10: I'm still alive...). And as of right now, it needs more than 22 votes to be a choice. So don't linger if you really want it, because after two weeks, the old one goes back up...partially, but I'll tell you about that another time. **

And just because I'm putting up another poll, doesn't mean the other one is closed, it will be back up, so if you haven't voted, you'll be able to vote then or you can message me or something.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites everyone. Don't forget the voters.

**Mankind**

**Chapter 5: Decisions**

**

* * *

**

Ichigo truly had not realized the increase of his friend's spiritual powers, or their spiritual awareness. He was always either to caught up in thinking about how he could save Rukia and his training to even worry about his friends. It was not that he forgot about them (because Kami knows he couldn't do that even if he wanted to), it was merely the fact that Rukia, another one of his friends, was being held against her will, and was soon to be executed. So, he had a lot to think about.

While he trained to regain his abilities as a shinigami, his friends were learning of their own secret powers that went well with their personalities. Sado Yasutora, a tall dark skinned, muscular teen, also known as Chad by his friends, had an unrivaled strength. There was no reinforcement of spiritual energy to make the force stronger; just pure natural strength. Inoue Orihime, a busty teen with long orange-ish hair was a creative girl that didn't like to see people hurt. Her powers accommodated her personality with the healing and barrier powers she gained.

Uryuu Ishida, was a whole different story from them two, though. He was a quincy and so had already known of his powers before this training period. He simply became more in tune with his quincy side. And though Ichigo knew Ishida was a quincy, he did not notice the inflation of said quincy's aura.

So, to say Ichigo was shocked when he saw his friends had made progress in their spiritual powers, would be an understatement. He had stuttered and spluttered, completely making a fool of himself. They had bickered about who should go to the soul society, before it was finally decided Ichigo, his friends, and Yoruichi, a talking cat that knew many things about the Soul Society, would all go together.

They had only been running for a couple of seconds, yet they were already encountering quite a few problems. The Capturing Flow, as the black cat had called the avalanching wall, was currently catching up to them, while they were trying to desperately out run it. They couldn't use their soul's power because that would only end up causing more harm then good.

Out of all the days they chose from, it had to be this one...the one with a high possibility of dying. Yet they hadn't even experienced the worst part yet. The worst part had come when Uryuu's jacket had gotten caught in the wall. They had wanted to save him, they really did, but they had no idea how. Their strengths all laid in the usage of their reiryoku, also know as spiritual energy.

So perhaps they were lucky that Chad had made his presence known to save the quincy, and their friend.

It didn't take them long to reach the near-end of the portal, but before they could actually make it, the Capturing Thrust, a cleaner that makes an appearance every seven days, made itself known. This cleaner was faster than the Capturing flow, so it was much harder to escape seeing as they were barely making it past the wall.

They thought they were goners, and they had never expected to see Orihime turn around and pull such a risky move. A move that could help greatly, or cause their instant demise. But it seemed as if luck was on their side, once again, for they made it to the soul Society.

Even if it was a rather rough landing.

**

* * *

**

Tsunade sat lazily in her chair, drinking a bottler of Sake. She really wanted to drown her worries in alcohol from everything going on. From the meeting about to be held, to the war about to break out, she just knew, drinking would make everything better.

She was about to discuss the information of the war with all the ninja with the rank of a chunin or higher. She would inform them that they need to increase the regimen of themselves and their students (even if it was a bit late) without exhausting, just in case. This war was so close to be dubbed as a world war, but without Sand and Mist joining in, it could not be considered one.

And that's what brought the fifth to her dilemma.

Konoha was to be in a war with three major countries with their only allies being small countries like waterfall that barely had formidable army. Though Sound, Rock, and Cloud had no written form of contract, they had an alliance with each other. Rock was still a bit bitter when it came to Konoha, because of the many shinobi lost to the yellow flash, also known as the late Fourth Hokage. Kumo, though they had no problems with Konoha, they had been allied to Rock for decades, so it was only expected they followed, but it had yet to be confirmed.

Konoha had also tried convincing Mist to join their (Konoha's) forces, but they refused, claiming, they already had their hands tied with their own problems, which Tsunade found to be true. Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in Mist, was still low going on Shinobi since the eradication of Kekkai Genkai users, people who have a bloodline. The civil war had done much damage to the terrain in the Land of Water, the country which holds Kiri.

Then, there was Sand, also known as Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. As of right now, Konoha and Suna still had an alliance with one another, but since Suna was in the midst of choosing a new Kazekage, no orders of war could be given, unless it involved them directly. Tsunade could only hope that the Sand Village picked a new Kazekage quickly, and that whoever became the new Kazekage, would still keep the alliance even if Konoha was in war.

So that was why Tsunade sat drinking, cursing her position as Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama," came the voice of her secretary and first apprentice, Shizune. "Your meeting doesn't begin for another few hours, you should take a break..." She walked up to the Fifth Hokage, gently took the Sake bottle, and then replaced it for tea. Shizune was going to exit and be on her way, but noticing her sensei's look of defeat, she decided to stay, and see what the problem was. "What's wrong, Tsunade-sama?"

The blond haired woman sighed, and began to massage her temples. "How are we supposed to win this war, Shizune. This is most likely to be a three on one battle."

"We'll get through it somehow. All we need to do is believe," was Shizune's reply, but under breath, she added, "That's what Naruto would have done."

The raven haired apprentice then left Tsunade to her own worries, both unaware of the figure watching them, listening to their conversation, while he stood outside of the window, which led to the Hokage's office.

"Yes," he agreed. "That is what Naruto _would_ have done... if he were still alive." The male, then disappeared as he tried to figure out what he should do.

He could assist them in the war, which would give Konoha a better chance of making it out alive, or he could leave them be, and watch them die, one by one for what they did. Though this was once his home, the place he was born and raised, he didn't know if he could forgive them, because what they did was truly something unforgivable.

**

* * *

**

He closely examined his surroundings. This place was a bit rundown, and it barely looked better than his former living place before he had died. From the rooftops he observed the people of this foreign land. From the looks of it, Naruto guessed they were in poverty, and had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with the Shinigami. If he had a life to bet, he would gamble on it, betting the Shinigami live in a pretty rich environment, unlike this.

The short figures, children he assumed, he watched run around, reminding him of himself when he was younger. He remember when he would sneak up on the unsuspecting venders, and steal as much food as he could hold. Unlike them, though, he did not have a gang of friends to help him like they do each other, but that did not matter seeing as he had three important rules that insured his safety.

One, never return to the crime scene... no matter how much time passed. That was something he learned the hard way, and _never_ did again. Two, find a hide out in which no one knew about. It gave a chance for the mobs that always formed if word got out he stole something. And three, if things really got out of hand, he could have always turned to the Hokage (the third Hokage, at least), and played it off as if nothing had happened, while the crowd dispersed, too afraid to be caught hurting Naruto in front of the Sandaime.

Hearing a rumbling sound into the distance, Naruto stopped his reverie, and went to inspect what was going on. He assumed it was that teenage shinigami he had seen in the other world. He hopped across each rooftop at a leisurely pace. He was in no rush to get anywhere. In fact, he did not even want to be there.

With his above normal hearing he could hear an unfamiliar voice speak. With his sight, because he was in his non human form, he could only guess were rocks protruding from ground, acting as a makeshift barrier, as he saw the pieces, that looked exactly like the ones in air, missing from their spot on the ground.

"...wash your hands. Two, don't eat anything that falls on the floor. Three, when you duel, come one at a time,"A giant (gorilla looking man in Naruto's opinion), reprimanded. Naruto was thoroughly confuse now. Was this how they greeted every one that entered the Soul Society, or had he missed something important? Knowing this strange world... he knew it could be either or.

And what had "come one at a time" meant? If that giant had meant only one person could attack at a time when it was a life or death situation, then Naruto knew this world and his definitely had different customs. In the Elemental Nations, ninja's usually used trickery to their advantaged, and made sure they had strength in numbers.

"My opponent is the kid with orange hair," the gorilla-like man declared. "Until that is over, sit still."

He did not hear it, but apparently two of the humans had been whispering about a plan to free their comrade, who happened to be on the side of the rocks with the giant. One was tall, the height reminding him of the Akatsuki member, Hoshigaki, Kisame, and another being a girl. It was not the shinigami girl he remembered from earlier, and not only could he tell by hair length, there was also a major difference in their figures.

"Still whispering, are you?" It appeared the giant had a good sense of hearing... Then, the group of humans initiated communication with one another; arguing on about having to help each other. That was when he took notice of two different things.

The quincy, who's aura was purple, and an animal, who had the aura of a strong shinigami.

After that girl had been taken to return to her home, he had questioned the spirits within him about what a quincy was, because in the beginning, they had merely said there were three different beings, and that had not included quincies. From the information he had received, he only deemed certain things worthy of remembering. One being that they did not get along with shinigami, yet executed the thing exact things shinigami live to do. Another difference being quincies had the life span of a mortal, while shinigami lived for many centuries.

The animal he dubbed as being a cat because of the pointed ears and long tail, he found peculiar, because he had learned nothing of animals possessing spiritual powers. So either this cat had some type of transforming ability like him (except his being ninjutsu), or there was something else Satoru and Chie had yet to mention. He highly doubted that, though, because they had made sure he had more than enough information when it came to Death Gods and Hollows.

While Naruto had been occupied in his thoughts, he had mistakenly missed the conversation between everyone, and was not aware of anything going on, until he felt the ground shake beneath the house he stood on. Everyone seemed to be in shock about the earthquake, and Naruto was beginning to get curious. He was so far away, he couldn't hear them unless they were shouting, and he wanted to know what was going on. Knowing he would be able to stay hidden forever, he jumped down from the roof, and made his way towards the fight.

"Attacking before I'm ready, ain't that lack of proper etiquette?" The voice was familiar, it was that Ichigo kid's voice...

Naruto frowned. They were in mid battle, so why were these people talking about having _manners_? During their conversation of pointless talk of how to be _polite,_they could have been fighting.

The gorilla looking shinigami looked disgruntled at first, and Naruto wasn't sure what to expect, but laughing outright surely was not one of them. Naruto, with his little chakra reserves, enhanced his speed, so he could get past the humans and the cat. He jumped onto the rocks, but did not go any further. No one had taken notice of him yet... good.

"You're pretty good," the giant chuckled out. "It's been so long since someone has stopped my axe." And that's when Naruto realized Ichigo was blocking an ax, that was clearly aimed to cut him in half. "Now, I'll fight without holding back." After those words he gave the number of people who had managed to stop the Axe including Ichigo himself, and that was three. He then continued on saying that nobody had ever stopped the second attack, which proved to be a lie as Ichigo stopped it.

The giant was surprised, but Naruto, not so much. In the ninja world, deception was key, so size didn't always matter.

The Axe wielding shinigami, once he got over his shock, seemed to be happy that the Kurosaki still stood, proving to be a challenge; something he had not had in years.

"Ten Jidan-Hit Festival!" Naruto raised an invisible eye brow at the name as he shifted a bit, knowing he gained some attention. He turned his head to the left slightly, and he noticed the cat watching him suspiciously, while it walked up to it's companions.

His head snapped back to attention as he heard another attack make contact. "One!" The numbers went higher as the giant swung his ax, which thoroughly surprised Naruto. From what he had heard, giants, especially gorilla giants (not that he had ever seen one), were supposed to be dumb, barely able to count to count three, never mind ten.

But it happened to be during the eighth swing that Naruto thought something interesting. As the ax came at Ichigo in a side swing, Ichigo blocked it like all the others, but, in the process, reminding Naruto of someone. Someone by the name of Uchiha Sasuke. The guy had an aura of calmness, and his face had a light smirk on it. "Now, it's my turn." The tone of voice made it seem as if Ichigo knew he would win this duel.

Naruto could hear the gasps of surprise as the giant pulled out another ax. Pitiful, he thought. Even he knew that nobody (except for them, apparently) pulled out all of their cards, unless the first ones didn't work. That was another way ninja worked, taking the advantage of surprise.

The funny thing about this, though, something that made even Naruto laugh, was that the boy _apologized_ before destroying the axes, breaking them into small pieces, then sent the forty foot giant flying on it's butt. It took the guy a couple of minutes to realize his axes were broken, but when he did, Naruto's laughter became noticeable to all those present. The giant, was on the floor throwing a fit, like a toddler would do.

Heads turned to Naruto, but he didn't care. Now, he could laugh at someone else's misery, except, Naruto knew he would never get an apology.

* * *

"They're broken, my axes!" Jidanbou sobbed. Ichigo suddenly felt bad. If he would have known giant was going to act like this, he would have never done it.

"Uh," was Ichigo's confused reply. "I'm sorry ...I guess I shouldn't have broken _both_ axes," He said with a bit of uncertainty as he apologized again, and suddenly he heard it. A bitter laugh. He turned around to look at his friends to find which one was laughing at him, but saw none of their mouths open, they weren't even looking at him. They were looking at the one making the sound.

As his eyes viewed the figure on the rock, he instantly recognized it. It was that hollow from a month back that he and Rukia came across. The one that had escaped.

"Hey! you-" Ichigo yelled, but didn't get to finish as Jidanbou began speaking.

"You're such a good guy..." that was when he stopped listening to the rambling giant. Rukia had said this hollow-thing was stronger than the rest of the ones he had faced, but Ichigo figured not as strong as that captain, so he'd be able to win.

The orange haired teen got into a makeshift battle stance, and got ready to launch. There was no time to ask questions, because chances were, the hollow would try to escape again.

"It's a total defeat!" Ichigo was shaken out of his thoughts as he heard the giant jump up and yell. "I have lost to you in the ways of a man and warrior, so enter! Jibandou gives you permission through the Gate of the White Way!"

"Y-yeah." Currently, his focus was on the hollow. He thought hollows weren't allowed to get into the Soul Society, so how did this one get in? Turning his attention back to the figure on the rock, he was surprised when he didn't see anything. Ichigo curse himself inwardly. He should have never taken his eyes of it.

After everyone made it to him, once getting over the rocks, Jidanbou raised the gate. From the looks of it, they all knew the gates were heavy, so watching as the giant used close to all it's strength was a sight to behold. That is, until the guy stopped mid-lift.

"Jidanbou, you okay?" Ichigo asked, running to go take a look, because truthfully, the guy looked petrified. As Ichigo looked into the same direction as Jibandou, he saw someone similarly dressed to Rukia's brother. "Who's that guy?"

"T-third Squad Captain, Ichimaru Gin," Jidanbou stuttered.


End file.
